Appliance for cleaning teeth



May 6,-1,924, --mssal J. R. FAIR APB-LIANCE FOR CLEANING TEETH me@ Aug, lL 192:5

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Patented May 6, 1924.

UNITED?. STATES- JAMES ROBERT'FAIR; 0F=DUBLI N`, IRE-IRLAND.A

APPLIANGE ron CLEANING mantra.

Application ined Angustia, 1923.` seria1 1v0..c57,15c.

To all whom t may concern:

Be 1tv knownthat I,' JAMES ROBERTFAIR,

subject of the King of Great Britain,` resid ing at 49 Pembroke Road, Dublin, Ireland,

have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Appliances for Cleaning Teeth; and I do hereby declare the follow-4 ing to be a full, clear, and'exact descriptiony of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. y n n g* ,n

This -invention l relates to improvements in and relating to appliances for cleaningteeth andjhasrfor its object to-provide means in additionto or as a substitute forthe ordinary bristles of a tooth brush whereby the teeth may be more eiicientlyv cleaned and polished. Y

Broadly the cleaning device for teeth according to the present invention comprises a handle member or an attachment which may be detached from any existing tooth brush having associated with it polishing or cleaning substance in the form of toweling, wash flannel, cotton dental oss or other suitable material.

The material may be used in conjunction with an ordinary tooth brush by being secured in any suitable manner to the back of a brush or a convenient part of the handle portion or to an apparatus which may be attached or detached permanently or otherwise, or spch material may partially or wholly be adopted as an addition to or substitute for the ordinary bristles.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect I have appended hereto a sheet of drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of same wherein Fig. 1 is a view illustrating the chief elements of my tooth cleaning appliance detached from each other.

Fig. 2 is a view illustrating tape securing members which are shown in position in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view of a rigid cover for the tape carrying member.

Fig. 4 is a view of a tubular piece of rubber or other suitable material.

Fig. 5 is a view illustrating the attachment of the rubber tube in Fig. 4 to-the cover in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a view of a cover of tooth polishing substance such as toweling or the like.

Fig. 7 is a view of' the cover in'F ig. 6

securedA over the assembledlpartsshown inI F 1g. 5 by means of an elasticband yor other device.

Fig. Sis a view of a rigid` protector adapted to be placed over the toweling cover'.

Fig. 9 is a view ofthe rigidfcover in Fig. 8 in position and y l Fig. 1() is a viewof thev completely sembled device.- I 4, Referringl to 'the drawings my invention isl shown as applied to an ordinary tooth brush 1 having. a shortened. handle 2 whichy is adaptedl to, receive the Arigid tubular end 3 of a tape carrying memberw4,v the inner configuration of the` tubular end 3 being tapei` carrying `member fork l the majorportion of its length is relatively narrow as at 5 and to this are secured a pair of tape securing members 6 and 7 one of which 6 is slidable along the narrow portion 5 and the other of which 7 is pivoted, or the same may be hinged to said portion as at 8, and, if desired, provided at its Jfree end with a notch 7L for engagement by a finger nail of the operator to swing the member about its pivot to facilitate engagement and disengagement of a tape to and from the same. The securing member 6 is made from ai 'single piece of at metal or other suitable material bent at its median position to provide an eye 9 to slide over the extension 5, and to provide a pair of limbs 10 between which is adapted to be gripped one end ofa tape 11. The other securing member 7 is made from two pieces of metal 12 and 14 one of which has a tongue 13 which is bent at right angles to the plane of the piece of metal 12 to provide a means of retaining the member in its rectangular position. Both the members 6 and 7 have collars 18 disposed thereon adapted to be slid a short distance over the limbs between which the tape 11 is gripped. The ends of these limbs are bent back upon themselves as shown to do away with dangerous sharp edges. To enable the tape 11 to be tautened the member 6 carries a tongue 15 turned up at its free end to engage serrations 15@ formed in the lower edge of the narrow extension 5.

The object of the tape 11 is to enable crevices between the teeth to be cleaned, and when this tape is not required for use it is covered by a cap 16 of metal, celluloid,

or other suitable rigid material (Fig. 3). When it is desired to polish the teeth with -shaped to lit tightly on to'the handle 2.. The

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toweling or other suitable material a cap cord or tape 17 of the desired material (Fig. 6) is placed over the cap 16, preferably with an interposition of india-rubber or other suitable soft yielding material which may be in the form of either a cord, tape, series of rings, or a tube 19 (Figs. 4 and 5). Finally to provide a complete closure for the device and for a handle for the ordinary tooth brush 1 a cap 2O of rigid material (Figs. 8, 9 and 10) is placed over the toweling or like material 17.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a compact combination of elements is provided whereby a user of a tooth brush may have a self contained appliance which in clndes all the essential elements for thoroughly cleaning and polishing the teeth.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a tooth brush including a handle, of a cleaning device de-r stance associated with said cover, and a cap to enclose said polishing substance.

2. The combination with a tooth brush innotched support, means for attaching onev end of a cleaning element to said support,

a securing member adjustable along the support for attaching the other end of the cleaning element thereto, and means co-'0p-- erating with the'notches in said support to retain said securing member in dii'ferentadjusted positions along the support.V f

In witness whereof I haveY signed this specification inthe presence of two yWit nesses.

JAMES ROBERT FAIR.y

, Witnesses:

H. RowLEs, L. WELLS. 

